Applications are invited for Postdoctoral Research Fellows in the Black Hole Initiative (BHI) at Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). The BHI is the first interdisciplinary research center worldwide to focus on the study of black holes. It will be located within Harvard University at 20 Garden Street in Cambridge, MA. Current senior members of the BHI include Harvard faculty Avi Loeb (director), Peter Galison (History & Philosophy of Science), Ramesh Narayan (Astronomy), Andy Strominger (Physics) and Shing-Tung Yau (Mathematics), as well as SAO astronomer Sheperd Doeleman (Director of the Event Horizon Telescope project). Successful candidates will have access to our new computing facilities and will have the opportunity to interact and work with researchers above in multiple fields, including (but of course not limited to):

Fundamental physics of black holes and the information paradox.

Mathematical stability of spacetime and gravitational memory.

GR Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accretion flows.

Tidal disruption events.

Gravitational Waves and black hole mergers.

The Philosophical and Historical context of black holes.

Horizon-resolving observations and analysis using the EHT.

Starting date for BHI postdoctoral fellows is September 1, 2019. Applications should be submitted electronically at https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/opportunities/fellowships/bhi/ by 5:00pm EST, December 1, 2018, but applications will be considered ongoing, continuing until the positions are filled. The grant-funded positions are for two years, renewable for a third year, contingent on performance and funding. Resources for research expenses including publication charges, related conference travel and computing resources will be available.